In such a vehicle, the space which lies between the hood and the lower edge of the windshield is conventionally used for accommodating the windshield wiper system. The same space is also used for admission of fresh air to the interior of the vehicle, which has an air inlet grille overlying this space. The vehicle also has screen washing means for washing the windshield, comprising a screen washing liquid reservoir together with means for spraying this liquid on to the windshield.
Conventionally, the screen washing liquid reservoir is arranged underneath the hood, in the front compartment of the vehicle. During manufacture, the operations of fitting on the vehicle the screen wiping means, the air admission means, the air inlet grille, and the reservoir and spraying components of the screen washing apparatus, are functions which require a considerable amount of time to accomplish. These assembly and fitting operations are not easy to carry out using automatic assembly machinery, and as a result they are particularly expensive.
It has been proposed to provide monobloc, or unitary, screen wiping and washing apparatus, in which the air admission means, the screen washing liquid reservoir, the screen wiping means and the means for directing the washing liquid on to the windshield, are all integrated, with a view to simplifying the operations of fitting these various components in the vehicle, and to make it possible to carry out these operations using automatic means.
It has also been proposed to provide a modular apparatus for wiping and washing the windshield of a vehicle, which avoids the use of monobloc wiping and washing apparatus that has to be specially adapted to a given model of vehicle. To this end, such a known apparatus includes at least one common module which can be used on various types or models of vehicle, thus tending to reduce manufacturing costs and providing the advantage of an economy of scale. More particularly, the modular apparatus comprises at least two modules, which can be assembled together and to the remainder of the vehicle, with one of the two modules being adapted to contain a screen washing liquid, so as to constitute a reservoir for the latter, while the other module acts as a support for the windshield wiping system itself.
An object of the present invention is to propose an improvement to such a design for a modular apparatus, such as to improve the modular character of the apparatus and to extend the advantages that result from the facility for assembling and fitting such an apparatus.